Gadget protector device

ABSTRACT

A portable gadget device including a casing member, an ejector member, an ejector housing member and an attachment member. The casing member including a top layer and a bottom layer attached to one another forming an enclosure in the casing member to house a gadget, the enclosure having a padding embedded therein surrounding the perimeter of the enclosure for stabilizing a received gadget. The casing member including an opening located along one side of the casing member for insertion and ejectment of the gadget. The ejector member is integrated within the casing member along an opposite side of the casing member from the opening. The ejector member including an ejector handle and an ejector tab. The ejector handle actuates ejectment of a housed gadget upon actuation of the tab. The attachment member includes a plurality of attachment parts, wherein each attachment part is configured to connect the casing member to a surface so that the device may be operated as a protective hands-free holder of the gadget.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments described herein generally relate to protectants, and more particularly to a portable gadget protector.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Portable devices may be transported anywhere and used at any time. However, some devices are difficult to use in certain environments, particularly where an individual may need the use of their hands. In a bathroom environment, it may be desirable to use a portable device to view content. In this aspect, it would be desirable to operate the portable device in a hands free manner. Moreover, because the bathroom is a wet environment, it would be desirable to protect the portable device from water.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The various advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent to one skilled in the art by reading the following specification and appended claims, and by referencing the following drawing(s), in which:

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary front view of a portable gadget protector device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary exploded view of a portable gadget protector device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary top plan view of the bottom layer of the casing in the portable gadget protector device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 shows another exemplary view of the portable gadget protector device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary left side view of the portable gadget protector device having a gadget enclosed therein according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6A shows an exemplary cross-sectional view of the portable gadget protector device having a gadget enclosed therein according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6B shows an exemplary cross-sectional view of the portable gadget protector device having an actuated ejector mechanism for ejecting the enclosed gadget according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary left side view of the portable gadget protector device having an enclosed gadget ejected from the enclosure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary rear view of the portable gadget protector device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Exemplary embodiments disclosed herein describe a portable gadget protector device including a casing member, an ejector member, an ejector housing member and an attachment member. The casing member including a top layer and a bottom layer attached to one another forming an enclosure in the casing member to house a gadget, the enclosure having a padding embedded therein surrounding the perimeter of the enclosure for stabilizing a received gadget. The casing member including an opening located along one side of the casing member for insertion and ejectment of the gadget. The ejector member is integrated within the casing member along an opposite side of the casing member from the opening. The ejector member including a tab actuator for activating ejectment of a housed gadget upon actuation of the tab. The attachment member includes a plurality of attachment parts, wherein each attachment part is configured to connect the casing member to a surface so that the device may be operated as a protective hands-free holder of the gadget.

In some exemplary embodiments, the padding is a foam layer.

In some exemplary embodiments, the casing member includes a pair of water resistant flaps.

In some exemplary embodiments, the pair of flaps form a seal around the opening.

In some exemplary embodiments, the ejector member includes a tab and a handle.

In some exemplary embodiments, the casing member is water resistant.

In some exemplary embodiments, the casing member is fog resistant.

In some exemplary embodiments, the casing is shock-proof.

In some exemplary embodiments, the casing member includes a touch screen overlay surface.

In some exemplary embodiments, the touch screen overlay is water resistant.

In some exemplary embodiments, each attachment part is attached to a rear surface of the casing member.

In some exemplary embodiments, an attachment part includes a pair of suction cups.

In some exemplary embodiments, an attachment part includes a hinged tab.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates to a portable gadget protector device (“the device”). The device is configured to house a gadget, such as, for example, a mobile phone, a tablet, etc. The device allows the gadget to be used safely in wet environments or in environments where water is commonly present, such as, for example, in a bathroom/restroom. The device may be attached to a surface, such as, for example, a wall, a shower head, the flat surface of a sink, the flat surface of a tub, etc. To this regard, the device is operated as hands-free holder of the gadget. This feature prevents the user from having to hold the gadget in his/her hands while using the device, for example, to view content such as video, streams, etc. Hence, a user is free to use his/her hands to perform other tasks such as shower. Moreover, the user does not have to worry about water getting to the gadget because the gadget is enclosed in a protective water resistant casing.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-8, the device 10 includes a casing member 12, an ejector member 20 and an attachment member 24. The casing member 12 includes an enclosure 15 for housing a gadget 11. The gadget may be manually inserted into the enclosure through an insertion opening 13 in the casing member. The casing member includes an attachment member 24 for attaching the casing member 12 to a surface. So, once the gadget 11 is inserted into the casing member 12, the casing member may be attached to a surface and the gadget is held hands free in the casing member. Thereafter, the user may operate, view, or access the gadget 11 in a hands free manner. Subsequently, to remove the gadget 11 from the casing member 12, an ejector member 20 is included in the casing member to eject the gadget from the casing member.

The casing member 12 is formed by a top layer 12 a and a bottom layer 12 b which are attached to one another as shown in FIG. 1. The top layer includes a top surface 16 which is included in a cutout in the top layer 12 a. The top surface 16 is aligned in a same position as a recessed cavity 17 which is included in the bottom layer 12 b. So, when the top layer 12 a and the bottom layer 12 b are attached to one another an enclosure 15 is formed in the casing member 12. The enclosure 15 is configured to house an inserted gadget.

Moreover, the top layer 12 a and the bottom layer 12 b each include an opening (i.e., cutout) 13 a and 13 b respectively. Each opening is aligned in a same position on both of the top layer and the bottom layer. Thus, when the top layer 12 a and the bottom layer 12 b are attached to one another an insertion opening 13 is formed in the casing member 12. A gadget 11 may be manually inserted into the casing member 12 by way of the insertion opening 13. The casing member 12 includes a seal 14 to cover the insertion opening 13. The seal 13 may be formed by a pair of water resistant rubber flaps, where each rubber flap of the pair is attached to the top layer 12 a and the bottom layer 12 b layer respectively.

The casing member 12 may be made out of any rigid water resistant material, such as, for example, acrylic plexiglass. As such, the top layer 12 a and the bottom layer 12 b of the casing member may be made out of acrylic. In another exemplary embodiment, the casing member is fog resistant and shock resistant. The casing member 12 may include a shock absorbing outer covering for absorbing any shock. The casing member and its respective enclosure may be configured in different sizes to house different gadgets, such as, for example, mobile phones, tablets, or any other suitable electronic device.

The top surface 16 of the casing member may be configured in a same shape and size as a gadget 11. The top surface may be implemented as a touch screen overlay which creates an interactive touch screen surface. The touch screen overlay allows a user to perform touch screen operations on a touch screen enabled gadget which is housed in the enclosure. Any suitable touch screen film/material may be used as the touch screen overlay. In a preferred embodiment, the touch screen overlay is implemented with a water resistant touch screen film. In another exemplary embodiment, the touch screen overlay is implemented with a water and fog resistant touch screen film.

The bottom layer 12 b of the casing member 12 includes recessed cavity 17 and an aperture 21. The gadget 11 fits into the recessed cavity of the enclosure 15. The perimeter (i.e., the edge) of the recessed cavity 17 is surrounded by padding 18 for stabilizing the retention of a received gadget. Any suitable foam material may be used for the padding. In a preferred embodiment, the padding 18 is a black foam layer. The ejector member 20 is stored in the aperture 21.

The ejector member 20 may include at least one ejector tab 20 a and an ejector handle 20 b. In another exemplary embodiment, the ejector member may include one or more springs. The ejector member 20 applies a light force to the housed gadget 11 to release the gadget 11 from the enclosure 15. So, when ejector handle 20 b is manually pressed inwards, the ejector tab 20 a is actuated, i.e., the ejector tab 20 a is pushed onto housed gadget 11 which causes a portion of the gadget 11 to be ejected from the enclosure 15. Thereafter, a user may grab the ejected portion of the gadget to pull the remaining enclosed part of the gadget out of the casing member 12.

The ejector member 20 extends into bottom layer 12 b of the casing member 12, as shown in FIG. 2, and directly abuts an enclosed gadget 11. As such, the ejector member 20 is surrounded by padding 18. Consequently, since the padding is soft, it may affect the operation of the ejector member 20 (e.g., when the ejector member is configured with one or more springs, the padding may cause sideways movement of the one or more springs instead of straight movement which affects the resulting force applied upon the gadget to eject the gadget). So, the ejector member 20 may be housed in a rigid housing to stabilize the operation of the ejector member. The ejector housing member may be made from any suitable rigid material.

The attachment member 24 includes a plurality of attachment parts, wherein each attachment part is configured to connect the casing member 12 to a surface so that the device 10 may be operated as a protective hands-free holder of the gadget 11. The attachment member may be attached to a rear surface of the member 12 as shown in FIG. 8. The attachment parts may include a pair of suction cups 24 for attaching the casing member 12 to a wall surface (e.g., shower wall). In an exemplary embodiment, the pair of suction cups may be removable. Likewise, the attachment parts may include a hinged tab 24 b (i.e., stand) for standing the casing member 12 on a flat surface (e.g., the flat surface of a bath tub or bathroom sink). The hinged tab may be foldable (i.e., collapsible). In another exemplary embodiment, the attachment part may include a clip. As noted above, once the casing member is attached to a surface, the user may operate, view, or access the gadget 11 in a hands free manner.

While the disclosure describes the device 10 as portable, in an alternative embodiment, the device 10 may be fixedly attached (i.e., stationary) to a surface by way of permanent installation with one or more hardware parts (e.g., fasteners). So, for example, the device 10 may be permanently mounted to a wall surface.

Moreover, it should be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.)

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes” and/or “including,” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art. However, should the present disclosure give a specific meaning to a term deviating from a meaning commonly understood by one of ordinary skill, this meaning is to be taken into account in the specific context this definition is given herein.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad techniques of the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while the embodiments of this invention have been described in connection with particular examples thereof, the true scope of the embodiments of the invention should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings, specification, and following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A gadget protector device comprising: a casing member including a top layer and a bottom layer attached to one another forming an enclosure in the casing member to house a gadget, the enclosure having a padding embedded therein surrounding the perimeter of the enclosure for stabilizing a received gadget, the casing member including an opening located along one side of the casing member for insertion and ejectment of the gadget; an ejector member integrated within the casing member along an opposite side of the casing member from the opening, the ejector member including a tab actuator for activating ejectment of a housed gadget upon actuation of the tab; and an attachment member including a plurality of attachment parts, wherein each attachment part is configured to connect the casing member to a surface so that the device may be operated as a protective hands-free holder of the gadget.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the padding is a foam layer.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the casing member includes a pair of water resistant flaps.
 4. The device of claim 2, wherein the pair of water resistant flaps form a seal around the opening in the casing member.
 5. The device of claim 1, wherein the ejector member includes at least one tab and an at least one ejector handle.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the casing member is water resistant.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein the casing member is fog resistant.
 8. The device of claim 1, wherein the casing member is shock-proof.
 9. The device of claim 1, wherein the casing member includes a touch screen overlay surface.
 10. The device of claim 9, wherein the touch screen overlay surface is water resistant.
 11. The device of claim 1, wherein each attachment member is attached to a rear surface of the casing member.
 12. The device of claim 1, wherein an attachment part includes a pair of suction cups.
 13. The device of claim 1, wherein an attachment part includes a hinged tab. 